First homes in £30m housing plan

Work is underway on the construction of new affordable homes in a County Durham village as the first part of a £30m investment across the region.

Work is underway on the construction of new affordable homes in a County Durham village as the first part of a £30m investment across the region.

Ground has been broken on the site of eight two and three bedroom homes in Pity Me. The high quality properties on Woodbine Road on the western side of the village will be available for affordable rent.

The houses are being built by County Durham Housing Group as part of a major programme of new house building, which will see 297 new homes built on 17 sites between the Tyne and the Tees. The Pity Me homes are the first being purpose built for affordable rent by the group.

Featuring high levels of insulation, the latest heating systems and double glazing; they are expected to bring big savings to tenants when compared with older homes, particularly those in the private rented sector.

County Durham Housing Group Chief Executive, Bill Fullen, said: “These new homes are the first of almost 300 that we’ll be building over the next three years. We’ll be bringing high quality, affordable homes to communities’ right across the region.

“Demand for affordable homes has probably never been higher. By working with the local community and a range of partners in the public and private sector, housing associations like ourselves are best placed to deliver the new affordable homes that hard working families desperately need.”

Last year housing associations like County Durham Housing Group built 40,000 new homes – 29 per cent of all housebuilding in England, contributing £1.9bn to the economy.

Construction work at the Pity Me site is expected to be completed by spring 2018 with the first families moving in shortly after.

Jason Green, Director of Operations at contractors Strategic Team Group, said: “We are delighted to be appointed to deliver one of the first projects as part of this programme of new build housing across the region. We are looking forward to working collaboratively with County Durham Housing Group to provide much needed energy efficient new homes for affordable rent to the community in Pity Me.”

Close to transport links to Durham city centre and other parts of the region, as well as being at the heart of Pity Me, the new homes are expected to be in high demand.